(a) General. A local eligible provider must measure the educational gains of students using only tests that the Secretary has determined are suitable for use in the NRS and that the State has identified in its assessment policy.

(b) Pre-test. A local eligible provider must—

(1) Administer a pre-test to measure a student's educational functioning level at intake, or as soon as possible thereafter;

(2) Administer the pre-test to students at a uniform time, according to the State's assessment policy; and

(3) Administer pre-tests to students in the skill areas identified in the State's assessment policy.

(c) Post-test. A local eligible provider must—

(1) Administer a post-test to measure a student's educational functioning level after a set time period or number of instructional hours;

(2) Administer the post-test to students at a uniform time, according to the State's assessment policy;

(3)(i) Administer post-tests with a secure, parallel, equated form of the same test—either traditional paper and pencil or computer-administered instruments—for which forms are constructed prior to administration to examinees to pre-test and determine the initial placement of students; or

(ii) Administer post-tests with an adaptive test that uses computerized algorithms for selecting and administering items in real time; however, for such an instrument, the size of the item pool and the method of item selection must ensure negligible overlap in items across pre- and post-testing; and

(4) Administer post-tests to students in the same skill areas as the pre-test.

(d) Other requirements. (1) A local eligible provider must administer a test using only staff who have been trained to administer the test.

(2) A local eligible provider may use the results of a test in the NRS only if the test was administered in a manner that is consistent with the State's assessment policy and the test publisher's guidelines.